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Hi all, I see all you guys & gals
making these beautiful boards and
thought I'd give it a try. ( looks easy )
I was wrong. I figured out the basics
and never really researched how to
do it but that's what it's about ( trial &
error )
The oak board 21"x11×1 1/4
I made from 1 1/4×1 1/4 stair ballisters.
No machining, just glued up, sanded,
rounded the edges, & finished.
(A lot of sanding, No planer )
The second board 29"x12"x1 1/4
was made from
cabinet filler strips 3/4 x 3" wide. I cut them
in half, stood them up & glued together
with a couple other different kinds of
filler strips.
(Don't know what kind of wood but label
said maple spice on one of them) Ran
through planer ( bought one after first board,
saved ALOT of time ) sand, finish.
Can someone please explain the
different kind of cutting boards there
are ? I always see end grain cutting
boards but what is it called when the
side of a 3/4 board is on the surface
(Idk if I know what end grain means)
All help is appreciated and thank
You in advance

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You have edge grain boards when the using the "sides" of the individual boards. The end grain boards will use the ends of the boards for the top and bottom of your board. End grain is more desirable for a couple of reasons. You will not sever the wood fibers like a face grain or edge grain board, and the end grain board is better for the knife edge as well.

Looks like you did a nice job on your first attempt. They are only limited by your imagination.
 

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ki have a qeustion to add on, what is the best finish to apply to a cutting board? shellac?
 

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A cutting board should not have a hard finish (shellac, varnish, etc.). The most often used finish is mineral oil.
 

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The butcher block finish you used should be food safe, but the less expensive and just as effective choice is beeswax melted in mineral oil on the stove. Mineral Oil is found in the laxative section of your local drug store. This is inexpensive and provides the best protection for the food and for the board. The board should be saturated with mineral oil at least once a week for the first month and then once a month after. Add the wax once a year.
 

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Thanks for all the help, where do I buy
Bees wax and do you mix it 50/50 ?
Also is that mixture made as needed
or can it be stored ?
 

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What kind of glue is best for cutting boards? Obviously they will take a lot of abuse from washing so regular woof glue seems to be a bad choice. Also is there a glue that is preferred for contact with food?
 

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regular wood glue (titebond II or III) will work just fine. Titebond III is supposed to be water resistant, but in reality the glue you use isnt going to be in direct contact with the food or water for that matter. The barrier you create with the oil and wax will keep water from really penetrating the wood and compromising the hold of the glue. I dont think I've seen any videos where someone used a special glue. Just regular wood glue.
 

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I don't think you should try running an end grain cutting board through your planer either….both planer and cutting board will likely be destroyed! Sanding only on end grain boards….lots of sanding.
 

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I've been using 25% by volume beeswax/75% mineral oil as a topcoat after coating the boards several times with mineral oil. I store it in an old pickle jar; microwave pieces in a Pyrex measuring cup to liquefy for application. Working with hot wax is not my idea of fun, but the result is lovely.

Another tip: after the wax dries, then I put the boards in the sun to soften it. After the sun does it work, I remove the excess with a plastic scraper (no sharp edge!), and then rub for a smooth finish.

As to end grain and your planer … no worries. The big issue is chip out on the trailing edge, which can be significant. The solution is to glue a long grain strip across the end of that trailing edge, and then cut it off after the board is planed. Take very small cuts, and you'll be fine.
 

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CUTTING BOARD FALLACIES

First - There is NO schedule for oiling a cutting board! Oil as needed and don't over oil. This isn't rocket science. When the area used most starts to look a little lighter than the surrounding area, it is time to apply the oil. Oil the underside on occasion as well. Bees wax will not provide a water repellant coating but it will add a little extra water repellency.

Second - Running an end grain board through a planer will destroy the blade edges! And it might make a permanent enemy of the planers owner as well if you use someone else's planer.

Third - The glue used is important. Oil will not protect the glue from water penetration so a good type III glue should be used. "Regular" wood glue like white or yellow carpenters glue will dissolve with water contact. TiteBond III is water proof and USDA approved for indirect contact with food.

Fourth - Never, never, never put bees wax directly over a heat source like a stove. Always use a double boiler. It will flash and cause a fire if it gets to hot.
 

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Sure is a lot of conflicting &
confusing info. but all is appreciated.
 

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I'd use a varnish finish rather than mineral oil. Mineral oil makes the board look rather washed out and ugly, in my opinion, where a good food-safe-when-cured varnish makes the board look spectacular.

I like General Finishes Salad Bowl Finish, but there are other comparable products out there.

Varnish has the added benefit of only needing to be touched up every few years, depending on use. Mineral oil needs to be apply way, way, way too often for my taste.
 

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Nice boards! I have made only end grain boards. I have read where Titebond II is better thanTitebond III due to the excellent water resistance. It sets much faster than Titebond III. It has worked really well for me. It may not be the BEST glue, but it will work well.
As for my choice of woods, Maple is the staple, for cutting boards. I stay away from naturally oily woods, and coarse grain woods: red oak, ash, hickory are some that are coarse/open grain. This can trap food particles and make a place for bacteria to form. The wood database is a very good source for information and recommendations.
I have been using 1 1/2" and 2" turning squares. The wood is almost knot free, and straight grained. When they go on sale I get them.
I use my plunge router in a router sled based on the wood whisperer's design to flatten the end grain. I use double sided tape to hold it in place. Minimal depth cuts until it cleans up. The sanding is the killer.
I have built a V-Drum sander from the Stockroom Supply design. It has cut the sanding down in half or more.
I just use mineral oil for the finish. I have over 18 different species of hardwoods that I use. I try to make the lighter woods smaller than the darker woods. I find that the darker woods have more grain appearance than Maple. This is just how I do it. There are many ways to do it and get excellent results. Thanks for posting. Keep up the good work!

Ellery Becnel
 

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Here are the "Golden Rules" of cutting boards, as I've learned them over the years:

-Hard maple, or walnut make good boards, due to their grain/pore structure.

-Titebond III is the correct glue to use. It's food safe when fully cured, and will stand up to getting wet.

-No varnish on the cutting surface (Salad bowl finish is varnish) due to the finish getting cut up along with your veggies. Use mineral oil, and reapply as needed.

-Never run an endgrain board through the planer. It'll damage the blades at best, and can explode in the planer at worst. (Actually, the worst would be standing in front of the planer and getting injured by the flying schrapnel…....)

Good luck, and keep posting your boards!
 

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DO NOT USE GENERAL FINISHES SALAD BOWL FINISH ON A CUTTING BOARD! It is not food safe! I wouldn't use it on bowls, spoons, or any other cooking and eating items. It contains urethane and is poison. It is for decorative use only. Use only a food safe oil like mineral oil.

From the General Finishes Salad Bowl Finish website (https://generalfinishes.com/retail-products/oil-base-top-coats/salad-bowl-finish):

"For actively used butcher block counter tops that are used for chopping and cutting, only use Butcher Block Oil."
 

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Mineral oil is a very popular and easy finish, but I still prefer the salad bowl finish. I had already been using it and found on youtube.com the wood whisperer doing his cutting boards, he recommended the salad bowl varnish cut with mineral spirits. Goes on easy and has a nicer shine.

It's real easy to screw up your planer with an edge grain board. Especially if you have straight knives. Here is one showing how it works but this planer is more deluxe than what most of us would have.

 

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I could understand using Salad Bowl finish on something like….. well, a salad bowl because there wont be a ton of abuse. However I'd not use it on a cutting board. Cutting boards WILL get scratched up and dinged because all you do is cut stuff on them.

If you think that applying lots of coats of oil is too time consuming, just realize that if you put a varnish on the board and you decide to refinish the board to make it look new again, you're going to have to completely strip the finish just like anything else that is coated in polyurethane.

On the other hand, if the board is oiled/waxed all you need to do is a little light sanding with 220 grit (or 120 grit if the board is REALLY marred) and reapply a new coat of oil. That is going to be far less of a hassle to deal with what will be an inevitable need for your cutting boards and it's 100% safe to consume.

The Wood Whisperer actually made a really good point about this. He said with butcher block boards you really are just admitting up front that it WILL get damaged and need to be refinished, so why not make that refinishing process as easy as possible.

anyway, just by 2c. If you never plan on refinishing the board, then use the salad bowl finish and when it looks bad enough just pitch it and make a new one! I mean, after all we ARE woodworkers.
 

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The Watco butcher block finish also
dries to a hard surface. I bought some
beeswax from the Woodcraft store and
mineral oil from the pharmacy and have
been making my own now. The other
looks nice but knife marks show up
to easily. Thanks for the input
 

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I read an article in Science News a few years ago reporting on a study of bacterial growth on cutting boards.

Their findings were quite surprising. For years health rules have prohibited wooden cutting boards in restaurant kitchens and specified that plastic or glass be used. However it seems that nobody actualy tested to see which is better at inhibiting bacteria.

What the scientific study found is that uncoated (no oil, just bare) wood had the best antibactierial performance - better than plastic boards.

Wow, I just found that article. I didn't realize it was 20 years ago! I'm getting old.
http://www.news.wisc.edu/releases/1107.html

The reason for this is simple: Raw wood absorbs water. As the wood draws in the water, it dessicates the bacteria on the surface of the wood, which then simply die. Plastic boards, on the other hand, have knife scratches all over them. Any bacteria which get into those scratches are surrounded by plastic. Any water, blood etc, which gets into the scratches stays wet - an ideal environment for bacterial growth. So each knife mark on a plastic board is a place where disease-causing bugs can hide.

They recommended only using bare (un-oiled, un-finished) wood board. End grain is best because the pores of the wood are most open on the end and have the greatest water-absorbing capability.

The test they did was to pour chicken blood on each board, let it sit for some period of time, the just wipe it off with a paper towel. After waiting an hour, they checked for bacteria.

-Paul
 
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